Has anyone used Whitings Herbert Miner pro grade? How are the feathers compared to a bronze or silver grade whiting cape? Is the only difference length with Whiting's? I won't have a chance to look at capes in person so I have to go off grade and reputation through the internet. I want to be sure I am going to buy decent hackle because recently I got a store brand cape from a certain foremost outfitter that was just awful (stiff stems and low barb count). And I don't want to make that mistake again.
Thanks, Cabot -who thinks he has been asking too many questions lately.

The Pro Grade Hebert Miner capes at 30 bucks are a great value. I have a bunch of them and like them a lot. They'll all tie down to at least size 18 but most I have will go down to size 20.

The feathers are not quite as long as the bronze grade, but i usually get 2 flies out of each feather for Catskill style dries. They have nice flexible stems that make wrapping easy.

Compared to the Whiting line the Hebert Miner grades typically will not tie as small by a size or so-- While a Bronze Whiting might tie 22's and some 24's a Hebert Miner Bronze will typically tie down to 20 with some 22's. The hebert miner saddles also tend to run larger than Whiting tying mostly size 10-12 or 12-14 rather than 14-16 and the feathers are typically not as long as Whiting saddles of the same grade.

But one of the strengths of the Hebert Miner line compared to Whiting, is the range of natural colors. While many/most Whiting duns for example are dyed, the Hebert Miner line has a wide range of natural duns in all kinds of shades as well as real fishy looking stuff like rusty duns, honey duns, etc in a variety of shades. Hebert miners also come in a range of dyed colors. To get a sense of the range of colors take a look at the "hackle wall" at Whiting Hackle | West Yellowstone fly shop | JimsFlyco (BTW Jim probably has the most extensive selection of Whiting and Hebert Miner stuff around)

With Hebert Miner now being owned by Whiting with their intensive genetic breeding, the quality of the line will probably get even better.

Let me know if you have any other specific questions-- i have a bunch in front of me and would be happy to poke through a few necks.

I haven't used the Herbert Miner capes, but know a fly shop manager that thinks they're great.

Whiting Silver and Bronze: Whiting says the only difference is length. I bought a few Whiting Silver saddles, and they were perfect in every way. After looking for Silver grade saddles in dun and grizzly, I was only able to find Brinze grade. I ordered them from Cabelas, and while they're nice, they are not up to par with Silver grade. The hackle fibers tend to be different lengths on each side of the stem, and this makes winding a little awkward. This was seen in both the dun and grizzly saddles (bought them in sizes 14 and smaller), so it wasn't just one bad chicken. I also have a ginger Bronze saddle, but can't recall if that has the same weird fiber thing. The Bronze is useable and much less expensive, but it's not just short Silver grade.

I would have returned the Bronze saddles, but have a habit of instantly tearing off price tags. I couldn't imagine Charles Ritz having bar code SKU's on his tying
gear.